The present invention relates to portable containers for transporting, storing and dispensing a liquid, and more particularly to a portable gasoline container.
Portable liquid containers, such as those employed to transport, store and dispense gasoline, are utilized in cooperation with a tank associated with an internal combustion engine, as used in a lawnmower, chain saw, snowmobile, generator or the like. In the past, such containers have typically employed vents formed in the reservoir housing to permit the displacement of air during a pouring operation. However, in recent years it has been determined that the escape of vapor from such a container to the atmosphere as the fuel is poured into a tank provides a health, safety and environmental hazard. Accordingly, gasoline containers are now being constructed without a vent formed directly in the reservoir housing. However, since air displacement must still be provided to permit a continuous smooth flow of fuel from the container, various types of pour spouts have been developed which allow for venting of vapor between the container and the tank into which fuel is flowing.
Certain problems, however, are encountered when pouring a liquid fuel such as gasoline from a portable container of the "ventless" type into a tank associated with an internal combustion engine. One problem is that during a pouring operation a user cannot readily recognize when the tank being filled is full of fuel. Although the pouring spouts referred to above typically will automatically shut off when the tank is full, there is no indication to the user of when this occurs. Consequently, a user is constantly withdrawing the pour spout from the neck of the tank being filled to visually observe whether or not the tank is full. This defeats the purpose of automatic shut-off pour spouts which were designed to control and contain gasoline vapors, fuel spillage and evaporative losses during pouring operations.